Edinburgh inventors create wearable rugby force sensors

SAM SHEDDEN

A new Internet of Things-inspired rugby sensor system developed in Scotland is set to transform player analysis and recuperation.

Professional rugby players could soon be fitted with wearable Internet of Things (IoT) devices, which monitor how they tackle with their bodies, improve training drills and inform post-injury rehabilitation programmes, thanks to a Scottish start-up company.

Sansible Wearables – founded by Jack Ng, 36, and Charlie Patterson, 26 - have created ‘LiveSkin’ intelligent sensors, which are fitted within players’ shoulder pads to capture data from collisions on the playing field.

The data can then be wirelessly transferred in real-time to a specially designed app that sport coaches, physiotherapists and medics can use to monitor the force exerted by the athletes in a tackle or a scrummage, as well as examine how their bodies recover from injury.

This information can then be used to improve training regimes and rehabilitation programmes to better reflect how players recuperate.

An example of how the LiveSkin app will look. Picture: Contributed

The devices will be part of the Internet of Things - the ever-growing network of physical objects that feature an IP address for internet connectivity.

The co-founders, who met at Edinburgh University, are confident they’ve found a gap in the sports performance market and the duo are already in discussion with several top rugby clubs who are interested in trialing the prototype.

Jack Ng, of Sansible Wearables, said: “The big opportunity for wearables is in sport and the timing is right for our product for a number of reasons.

“Firstly, the sector is already embracing the technology, with sports such as football equipping players with devices that monitor their speed, orientation, GPS coordinates and a variety of other data.

“Secondly, what we’re developing is unique. Although wearables are already used in sports, our product is doing something very different: measuring force.

“Unsurprisingly, contact sports, like rugby and American football, are the likeliest to adopt it and see the biggest results.”

The technology being constructed by Sansible Wearables can store data and monitor it over time, helping those working with athletes to spot trends and potential areas of concern.

The company is working with several clubs to trial the device, with interest high and a full roll-out planned in 12 - 18 months’ time.

Ng, who lives in Edinburgh and played rugby while at university, hopes the technology will eventually be used by clubs and grassroots sport initiatives alike.

Among the projects he highlighted to support are the RFU’s All Schools programme, which aims to have 1,000,000 children playing rugby by the next World Cup.

Ng said: “As someone who is a technology geek and a rugby nut, I’m very passionate about combining the two together and believe it’s vital to get more young people involved in the sport. I wish they taught rugby at my school in Edinburgh when I was a kid.

“Although we’ll initially be aiming for elite professionals with the LiveSkin, the RFU All Schools programme in England is a great example of an initiative we’d look to support in the future by giving them access to our product. Ultimately, we want the technology to help more people take part in a variety of sports.

Sansible Wearables which is supported by Edinburgh University was one of five winners at the Scottish leg of IoTUK Boost, organised by Scottish Funding Council-backed CENSIS, The Data Lab, the University of Edinburgh’s Informatics Ventures and IoTUK.

It is now undergoing a one-month period of incubation and mentoring, to refine the company’s business model and before seeking funding.

Mark Begbie, Business Development Director at CENSIS, said: “What struck us about Sansible Wearables was the energy and passion of the people involved in the company – they are what really sold the idea. Jack’s love of rugby and grasp of cutting-edge technology shone through and, combined with a revolutionary idea that could be explosive, it proved to be a winning combination. We’re thrilled to be working with such an innovative start-up and believe they have a great future ahead of them.”